Aegalous wyckoff



u Mew A WYGKOPP UNDERGROUND. CONDUIT.

-No. 343,354. vPaen'ed June 8 1886.

A e/ W FMQWM/ Q15( N. PETERS. Phowumugmpher. wnhiugmn, DIG' aro UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AROALOUS ,WYCKOFE OF ELMIRA, NEV YORK.

UNDERGROUND coNoulT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,3"54, dated June 8, 1386.

Application tiled October 22, 1885. Serial No. 180,651.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ARoALoUs WYoKoFE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipes and Conduits, of which 'the following is a specication.

My invention is a casing'or conduit consisting of a series of strips 'each so formed that it may be arranged at an angle to adjacent strips in building up the body of the article, so as to form close joints when all the strips are bound together; and the invention further consists in binding such strips together by means of a surrounding `body of cement or its equivalent, as fully set forth hereinafter, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an end View of a strip which may be used in building up a conduit in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of a pipe or conduit, full size, in which the strips are bound together by a surrounding body of cement. Figs. 3 and 4 are sections illustrating pipes or conduits made of strips of dierent forms. Fig. 5 illustrates the manner of forming the strips when they are of metal. l

My improved conduit consists of a series of strips of suitable material, each strip being adapted for application to the edge of the adjacent strip in such manner as to secure a bearing thereon, so that a series of strips may` be arranged at angles to each other to inclose a space and form a practically-tight casing around the said space when the strips are bound or held together in position.

In carrying out the manufacture of my improved conduitI rst make the separate strips, by cutting, molding, or otherwise, in such manner that when arranged properly in position they will inclose a space of the dimensions desired. T he strips may be differently formed to secure this result, the forms depending somewhat upon the material used and the facility with which the parts can be vmanufactured.

In Fig. 1 I have shown in transverse section a strip which may be used in building up a conduit of the form illustrated in Fig. 2, each strip A having parallel side faces, a a, with (No model.)

one edge, b, at right angles to the side faces, and a V-shaped groove or notch, 1, being formed at the opposite edge.

In building up a structure of the strips of the form illustrated in Fig. l the corner of one strip is inserted iu the notch or groove y of the next strip, as shown in Fig. 2, so that each strip has an extended bearing upon the edges or faces of the adjacent strips, which extended bearings insure close joints when the strips are clamped or bound together. The binding means may be clamps or bands or a surrounding body, d, of cement of any suitable charac ter, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

When the strips are provided with V-shape edge grooves, it is necessary to make the angle of the sides of the groove according to the number of strips that are combined in the completed article; but by making a rounded groove at one edge of each strip and rounding the opposite edge to correspond a tight bearing may be secured whatever is the arrangement of one strip in respect to the adjacent strip,`so that conduits of any desired dimensions may be built up from strips of the same form and size. In someinstances strips grooved at opposite edges may be combined in building up the conduit with intermediate strips, A', having fiat edges, each groove y in the strips A receiving the corner of one of the strips A', in the same manner as the corner of each strip fits in the groove of the vadjacent strip in the construction shown in Figs. l and 2. The forms illustrated in Figs. l to 5 are those which will be found most available in connection with strips made from wood, clay, asbestus and straw-board, and other like materials and compositions; but when metal strips are used the edge portion of each strip is bent to form a V-shaped groove, as shown in Fig. 5.

-When the conduit is to be used as an underground conduit, either for conveying iiuids or as a casing for conductors of any description, the strips will be most effectually bound together and at the same time preserved from the action of moisture and strengthened by It will be seen that the strips ont of which my improved conduit is made are of such forms that they may be readily manufactured of wood and similar materials by simply running ordinary boards through a sawing or planing machine, which can be done with great rapidity and at little cost, and that each strip has extended bearings upon the adjacent strips at both sides, the increased bearing surface of course securing a closer joint.

I am aware that barrels and tunnels are made of substantially parallel tonguedandgroovcd strips or blocks arranged in a circle; but my conduit is distinguished from this structure by the fact that in my conduit the edge of each strip lits the groove in the other, While in the other ease each strip has a contracted tongue which alone lits the groove.

I am aware that tunnels and the like are made of plates with ilat parallel sides and connected at the edges by dovelail joints, or by beads and grooves, to form channels reetangnlar or circular in cross-section; but my conduit is distinguished from this structure by the fact that in my conduit the seats are so formed that the strips maybe separated by merely moving them laterally, thus avoiding the longitudinal movement necessary with dovetail or similar joints.

XVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim- 1. A conduit consisting of a series of strips with parallel flat sides and arranged at an angle one to the other, and with the edge of one strip seated in the edge of the next snceeeding strip, so as to form a channel pol ygonal in cross-section, substantially as described.

2. A conduit consisting of a series of strips with straight parallel sides, and having one edge at right angles to the sides and the other provided with a Vshaped groove, the said strips being bound together, so that the conduit is polygonal in crossseetion, snbstantiall y as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub seribing witnesses.

A.. VYCKOFF.

XVitiiesses:

W. C. DUvALL, CHA Ruis E, Fos'rn. 

